I am so very sorry about your loss, so sad. When we lost our Kayak, Nakita was just so very sad, when I talked with a friend who is an animal communicator suggested that I just sit down with Nakita and talk to her but at the same time I needed to visualize what I was trying to say. We were sitting outside one evening, a very quiet and peaceful evening, I told her that Kayak loves her and misses her very much but he is fine and will always be with her and will wait for her. I was thinking in pictures that whole time, Nakita was sitting very close, and slowly "melted" into my lap, very calm, she just looked up at me for the longest time which made me cry, I hugged her neck and told her I loved her at which time she got up, wagged her tail and grabbed her ball. Off we went for a walk and ya know she did seem better after that. Still missing Kayak but she seemed more sure of herself and more Nakita.
I just lost Nakita last year to hemangiosarcoma, I still miss her and Kayak (and Gunner too) but somehow Nakita touches my heart every time I see her beautiful eyes in my heart.
Hug your precious dog, love her completely and she will understand.

So sorry that your pup is having to deal with all the dreaded getting older aches and pains, I hate that they have to age.
We have found that alternating laser with acupuncture works wonderfully for pain. I used acupuncture for years with Gunner, I saw great results and he had bilateral TPLO's and a laminectomy. He did very well and was 14 when he became an angel.
I used both laser and acupuncture with Nakita for her back that was damaged from being beat before I got her, I saw super results within 5 sessions of acupuncture and 3 laser treatments, so we continued to alternate the treatments. Loved it.
I hope you can find a plan that works for your pup. I firmly believe in alternative Veterinary medicine and I get really excited when I see others looking into it. Works great for so many pets.

I am so very sorry for you and Samantha. I thought it was very nice that you came out and suggested that whenever your dog is coughing for any length of time get to the Vet. That applies (for me anyway) to just about any problem, it is always better to be proactive for our pets.
I always tell my clients that our pets and our hearts will tell us when they are ready to go, it is never easy no matter how prepared we think we are. We just want to hold on and make our pets better, we feel so lost and so unsure.
But we know in our hearts.
Just losing my Nakita Mae exactly 1 year ago I still cry over her, I know she told me she was ready but I wasn't, I am thankful that I was able to give her the gift of a new body in heaven. She is still very much here and will always be in my heart.
Love on your baby, she knows how you feel, that is the best you can do for her and yourself. God Bless.

I am so sorry you and Bella are having such a rough time, I can only imagine how helpless you must feel.

Just a thought but has Bella seen a Veterinary Neurologist? The reason I am asking is that we had a Dalmatian come into the Vet clinic with quite a few of the same symptoms as Bella, seemed to have front limp weakness, collasped for no reason, trouble breathing at times, losing wt, but still eating, drinking, normal defecation, normal urination. All blood work (chem panel, cbc, tick borne titers, endocrine panel) came back within normal limits, xrays all normal but the dog seemed painful (or so we thought it was pain) in the joints.

Well, one of our Vets asked me about Myasthenia Gravis which is what I have, my symptoms were very similar right down to looking as if I collasped, I call it "crash n burn" it was actually complete muscular/nerve exhaustion caused by Myasthenia Gravis. So, long story short, we did a antibody test, while we waited for the results we did a tensilon test on the dog (we had to get the tensilon from the local human hospital) in a very controlled enviorment just in case the dog had a bad reaction to the tensilon (which would happen if the dog did not have MG) Sure enough, the dog had a positive reaction, it was amazing, the antibody titer came back positive also.
The dog is now under care of the neuro doc, taking the meds which are being titrated over time and observation. The dog is doing quite well now and with continued observation and time I am sure the dog will thrive.
It took me 6 months to be diagnosed, awful testing by some very unknowing docs, it took me going into complete collaspe and being admitted to the ER, just happened to have a resident whose sister had MG, he tested me and tada, finally a diagnosis, 10 yrs, 3 tumor removals, a ton of medication trials, lots of self education and I am doing well, close to remission.
It is worth a thought, cannot hurt to ask to see a neurologist.
Oh, they also thought I had a heart problem due to my trouble breathing and MG can affect every muscle in the body, the heart being a muscle.
Best wishes and I do hope you can find how to help your Bella.

Did they get a culture to make sure this antibiotic is the right one to use? You stated that his past bloodwork showed a slight elevation in his BUN, so I would wonder about the use of Metacam.
With ongoing UTI's and no accurate answer yet I (IMHO) would consider seeing someone more specialized in urology. Sometimes when you get more eyes on a problem for second opinions you can come up with a better diagnosis and avenue to address it.
Have you looked into feeding raw? Some clients absolutely swear that switching to raw completely cleared up urinary problems. Of course some Vets would come unglued about this. Take a look at Dr Karen Beckers website about urinary tract infections and raw, I think you can search her website and find the article, we love her.
Best wishes to finding answers, so frustrating for us as fur-pawents, we just want the best for our dogs.

Make sure there is nothing going on medically, kidney problems, diabetes, dental problems can cause terrible breath. Is your pup drinking more and urinating more than usual? That can be a sign of the above problems.
Also, foods can cause problems with breath. When I feed lamb Mitchell's breath smells horrible for a few days, it took me awhile to figure out what it was, but it happens every time we feed lamb.
Are you giving some digestive enzymes to help your pups digest their food? This can really help with your dogs breath.
Best wishes finding out what is going on.

Definately look into finding a Intregrative Vet as they will incorporate holistic, chinese medicine such as acupuncture, supplements, raw foods and several different avenues along with western medicine to address your dogs medical needs.
I would be worried also about long time prednisone use especially on such a young dog. Have you sought other opinions, any intestinal and stomach biopsies yet to confirm inflammatory bowel problems. You stated that the problem is immune mediated, so I assume that cbc's are being done every week if not every other week to make sure that her hemacrit and red blood cells are staying in check.
The one thing about the more holistic/intregrative Vets is that they look at the whole dog, not just at symptoms, does that make sense? By that I mean they address the dogs whole body, the dogs life style, foods, not just symptoms.
I hope you can get some help and your dog can be on the road to recovery soon.

Sorry, I misread your post my computer is freezing and jumping around whenever I go onto Dogster, weird. Glad to hear that the pup is better, smart move to take him to the Vet regardless, not going up the stairs can certainly be back, hips, neck or knee problems but it is best to make sure especially like you said dogs certainly can be very stoic at times. I wish they could just talk.

wow, time to find another Vet. I have worked as a vet tech for over 17 yrs and have never ran into this problem unless someone has brought in a pet and stated that they are not the owner and are only taking care of the pet and are not responsible for the pet or the bill, at that time we will get a number of the owner and contact the owner. Most of the time pet sitters have a signed consent form stating that in the absence of the owner the pet sitter has their permission to seek veterinary care, they will leave an emergency # and contact information.
Take the dog in and tell them that it is your dog or have your mom sign something for you. I would definately try to find another caring vet who will give you and the dog proper attention. Maybe this vet has lost money for services renedered without permission of an owner who was not there.
I do hope your moms doe will get the medical attention he so deserves. Ask your mom how she would feel if she severly hurt herself and did not have proper medical care to help, seems cruel to me.

So sorry your pup is dealing with so much discomfort, you as well.
Have to ask if your Vet did more than just a regular chem panel (blood work) and has she been tested for cushings? Regular blood work will not show the entire picture if it comes to cushings or endocrine problems.
Yes, this can be cognitive problems but until all blood work has been addressed I would not contribute all her problems to it.
I do hope you can find out what is going on soon. Poor her and you.